Back-up

Camden's beautiful glasses have seen better days.  We are trying to make it to the year mark so we can go through insurance for a new pair.  But after a recent close call of them getting stepped on (bent back to shape as best we could), we knew she needed a back-up pair, too.

We picked one of the clearance frames and the cheapest lenses.  I picked them up yesterday and when she put them on, she wanted to wear them instead of her sparkly ones.  They must feel better than the crooked pair with cracked lenses.

Shop Small Saturday

We hit downtown Lafayette this weekend to support local businesses.  We would have done Crawfordsville, but the girls wanted to eat lunch in Lafayette.  They loved going into all the small shops.

We ran into the big guy in our first stop.

In front of LBC we saw a hay wagon being loaded for rides around downtown.  We hopped on and enjoyed a 20 minute excursion.

We stopped in to McCord's Candy Store to see if they were giving candy cane tours.  We waited about 20 minutes for the next tour before we ran out of time (Sophia had to be home).  Camden (and truthfully I) wanted to do it so badly, but we plan to go back in the next week or so.

Thanksgiving 2018

Since we weren't heading to southern Illinois, we decided to host the meal at our house.  We are thankful for all our family who were thankful with us.

 

It was truly a feast!  Kevin and I did smoked brisket, turkey, and ham.  Everyone pitched in with all the traditional Thanksgiving sides, plus a mountain of desserts.

The afternoon was filled with games, target shooting, and crafts.

Aunt Carole brought some fun activities for the kiddos. Camden, Olivia, and Luke all enjoyed building a snowman and making turkeys.

 We are truly blessed!

Indiana Statehouse Field Trip

On Wednesday before Thanksgiving Break, the 5th graders headed to Indianapolis for a field trip to our statehouse.  They were asked to dress nicely...Camden wore her pretty black dress with black leggings.    A few boys were in suits! 

 
Our first stop was in the rotunda.  The guides were fantastic and gave a very appropriate, informative and engaging tour.

Our next stop was in the Indiana House of Representatives.  Since they weren't in session, everyone was able to sit at a representatives seat.  The details in this room were intriguing.

Next we were off to the Indiana Senate.

 

A stop in the Indiana Supreme Court.

Finally off to the Governor's Office.  Again, everyone was out of the office but we met in his board room.  

His board table was one of the most amazing examples of woodwork details.  It was beautiful!

This trip was so good.  For such a fact-based excursion, I was surprised at how much the kids loved it too.

Off to catch the buses for a short ride to Brownsburg for lunch.

The kids could choose between McDonald's, Wendy's, Arby's, and Burger King.  Probably 1/3-1/2 of them chose McDonald's.  Of course, it was all the squirrely boys and everyone wanted a Frappe or Mocha.  Rounding them up was such a treat.

I count this as one of my favorite field trips, but anytime I get to spend time with this girl is my favorite.